Trolley.



PATENTED MAY 6, H308.

ir. SHEPHERD.

TBOLLBY. APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 20, 1907.

JOHN SHEPHERD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY.

Specificatibn of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Application filed December 20, 1907. Serial ITo. 407,380.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SHEPHERD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolleys, of which the followmg is a specification.

My invention relates to im rovements in trolleys, and has for its genera object to rovide means for connecting a trolley wieel with a su porting pole, constructed to enable the -whee to accurately and constantly follow the trolle wire and make effective contact therewit to minimize arcing between the wire and wheel, and to prevent the wheel from umping from the trolley wire in assage around curves or over inequalities in t e wire.

In pursuance of this general object, further objects of m invention are to provide an efficient antiriction bearin for the trolley wheel, whereby the center rotation may be evenly maintained, and a mounting for the trolle harp which will permit the axle to parta e of such movements as are necessary to insure maintenance of the wheel in-properly contacting relation with the wire at all times.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient contact spring arran ement for carrying current from the trolley wheel to the pole; and yetanother object of my invention is to provide such arran ement form and construction which tends to steady the trolley harp and yieldingly position it normally in alinement with the trolley pole, without interfering with its freedom for necessary movements as described.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, I have illustrated an operative embodiment of my invention in a form which I have found practical and advantageous for purposes of a full disclosure-of the invention, and; in such drawing; Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section and partly in elevation, ofa connection between a trolley wheel and pole embodyin -my invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertica section of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Throughout the drawingxlike numerals of reference refer always to li 'e parts.

In the drawing 5 indicates in general a trolley pole, and 6 a trolley wheel.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention the trollev wheel is mounted in a harp which pivots in a socket formed in a head member mounted upon the pole, although for some of the purposes of my invention this arrangement may e reversed. In the specific construction shown the trolley pole 5 is provided at its up er end with a head memer 7, preferably aring laterally from bot tom to top and flaring to preferably a less extent from front to back, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the head member is formed a recess or socket 8, the front and rear surfaces of which are preferably parallel throughout the lower portion of their extent, and preferably diverging upwardly adjacent their upper extremities to form afiaring portion 9 of the socket, as, best shown in Fig. 2. The side surfaces of the socket preferably diverge upwardly throughout their entire extent, as illustrated in Fig. 1. In thes'ocket 8 thus provided is pivotally mounted a harp, generally indicated at 10. Said harp in the preferred em-v bodiment shown comprises an invertedly pyramidal body part 11 from which'eigtends upwardly fork arms 12-12, and from the small base whereof de ends a stem 13, the arrangement being suc that the front and rear facesof the body 11 substantially conform to the shape of the flaring portion 9 of the recess 8, while the width or lateral extent of the body art 11 is substantially less than the width 0 the mouth or upper ortion of the recess 8, to permit of lateral p ay of the harp 10.

The faces or front and rear walls of the head 7 and the stem-.13 are provided with registering apertures through which extend a headed pivotpin 14, preferably retained in place by a cotter pin 15-passing transversely therethrough and lying in'a recess 16 formed transversely of one face of the socket or head 7.

I have found it-to be highly advantageous to leave the wheel free for slight fore-and-aft movementsand slighttwistingmovementwith respect to the bolt in addition to the relatively greater transverse pivotal or swinging movement permitted by the laterally flaring shape of the socket in head 7. For this reason I prefer that thefit of the stem 13 upon the pivot in 14 shall be suflicientl loose, and that t e fore-and-aft fit of the ody 11 and stem 13 in their respective portions of the socket shall likewise .be 'sufliciently looseto and so that it may likewise play fore-andaftin the socket to the extent of a slight movement. For the purpose described the aperture in the stem is preferably tapering from both sides toward the center.

The arrangement hereinbefore described permits the harp to move to such extent and in such direction as I have found practically necessary to insure maintenance of the wheel in contact with the trolley wire over uneven and curved sections of the Wire, and I have found by practical experience with the device above described, upon ordinary, operating trolley lines, that such provision. for the maintenance of effective contact lengthens the life of the ordinary trolley wheel to several times the extent of its life when the harp is rigidly connected in customary manner with the pole. Furthermore I have found that by the arrangement described jumping of the trolley wheel from the track is practically eliminated and becomes of rare occurrence.

To further insure length of life of the trolley wheel by maintenance of the uniform condition as to the presentation of the trolley wheel to thewire, I provide an arrangement whereby wear of the trolley wheel on its axis of rotation is substantially obviated, so that the wheel may not wabble on the axle, and I further provide simple and efiicient means for carrying the current from the trolley wheel to the trolley pole which avoids undue heating and arcing between the relatively moving parts. To these ends I provide as a bearing axle for the wheel, a hollow shaft 20, provided at intervals with perforations 21, and saidhollow 'shaft I preferably maintain ractically full of hard oil or other lubricatmg substances, which will slowly be applied through the openings 21 to lubricate the bearings of the wheel.

The outer ends of the hollow shaft, 20, are preferably threaded and have screwed thereon solid heads 22 which bear in and preferably extend upward beyond the fork arms 12 1 2 and are secured against rotation by set screws 23, cotter pins or the like the heads whereof project above the ends of the fork-arms 12 12.

The side faces of the wheel 6 are dressed as at 24, adjacent the axis'of rotation, and for bearing against such dressed surfaces I pro vide metal contact washers 25, each having a lip 26 bent outwardly over the end of. the fork arm 12 and having therein a recess 27 partially embracing the head of set screw 23, or the like, to hold the washer against rotation.

The conductin strip and spring arrange ment I prefer she I be as follows; 30 indicates a bent spring strip, referably of phosphor bronze, brass or the li e, of narrow ii-shape, having its shorter length secured as by a rivet 31to an inner side base of the socket 8,,

and extending downward, substantially in contact withsaid socket to the bottom angle, and thence upward through an opening 32 in the body 11- of the harp member to a point slightly above thesaid body. Its upwardly extending limb under tension acting outwardly on the harp. ber, 33 is provided having a relatively wide upper portion )rovided with an aperture through which the hollow axle 20 passes, and arranged between the washer 25 and-the end of ca 22, such spring member 33 being narrowe at its lower end 33 into a tongue which asses down through the aperture 32 aforesaid, between. the arms. of the V shaped s ring 30, and at its lower extremity is d dubled back upon itself as at 34 and given an inward bend to insure contact ofsuch lower point with. the inner arm of the spring 30. The end 33 of the spring is under tension acting inwardly.

The arrangement described insures effective contact between the wheel, the washer 25 and the spring and sliding self-clean-- ing'contacts between the two springs 33 and 30, the latter being permanently and rigidly connected to the head or socket member at taohed to the pole, and bearing thereagainst throughout a considerable length. It will be observcdfurther that the springs arranged as shown tend somewhat to hold the harp in vertical position, but yield to permit movement of the harp laterally, twistingly, or fore-and-aft, as the spring ronnection is not rigid in any direction.

lVhile I have herein described in sqmc de-- tail an operative embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in the specific details of construction. might be made without departure from the teachings of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letterslhrtent, is;

1. The combination with a trolley wheel and a trolley pole, of means for connecting the trolley wheel with the pole, comprising a self-lubricating axle, whereonthe wheel is mounted, a harp carrying said axle, provided at its lower end with a stem, head member mounted upon the trolley pole and plOVirlod with'a socket into which the stem extends, a pivot in extending from front to back throng 1 the head and stem, the stem'being mounted in its pivot pin and in its socket to permit of twisting and fore-and-aft movement of the harp with respect to the socket to a relatively small degree, and transverse pivotal movement of the h: rp upon the pivot to a greater degree.

The combination with a trolley wheel and a trolley pole, of meansfor connecting the wlieel and pole con'iprising eating axle whereon the whee mounted, a harp carrying said axle, a stem and socket connection between the harp and. pole, arranged to leave the harp fr e for very limited foreand-aft and twisting movement and A second spring mam-- a self-lubriseasse greater lateral pivotal movement, and spring conductors between the Wheel and pole comrising two se arahle members, one carried y the )ole anc the other by the ha 3. T e combination with a tro i wheel and trolley pole, of means for connecting the wheel and pole comprising a head member mounted on the pole having a laterallyfiming socket therein, a harp having a depending stem projecting into said socket, a pivot pin extending through the socket and stem, the stem being arran ed upon said pin and within the socket'for s ight twisting and foreand-aft movement, and for lateral pivotal movement to a greater extent.

4. The combination'with a trolley wheel and a trolley pole, of means for connecting the wheel and pole comprising a harp carrying the wheel,-a stem-and-socket connection between the her and pole arranged to leave the harp free tor slight .fore-and-ait and twisting movements and greater lateral pivotal movement, and spring conductors between the wheel and pole, comprising two separable members one carried by the pole and the other by the harp, said two spring members being arranged tor sliding contact with each other to maintain efi ective contact throughout the changes in relative position of the ole and harp.

5. Ti e combination with a trolley wheel and a troiley pole of means for connecting the wheel and pole comprising a head nsounted on he trolley pole and having a socket therein, a trolley harp having a stem extending into said socket, a pin extending through the socket and stemwhereon the her is pivotally mounted, an axle whereon t e trolley wheel is mounted, carried by the harp, nonrotatalole contact washers on o posite sides of the trolley wheel, de ending contact springs bearing against sai washers and extending down through suitably provided apertures in the-hiwer part of the harp, and coasting contact springs secured in the socket and extending up through the said aperture in the harp to constantly make sliding contact with the first said contact s rings. 4

In testimonywhereof I ereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SHEPHERD.

In the presence of LEoRnn BAIN, MARY F. LEN. 

